Charlotte will get its own immigration court this fall, and it’s something lawmakers and some residents say has been long overdue.

A majority of what that court will handle is deportation hearings. However, it is also expected to benefit legal immigrants as well.

The immigration court site hasn't been determined, but it is expected to open this fall and help eliminate ongoing problems.

Right now, every illegal immigrant found in the Charlotte area who is ordered for deportation has to go to Atlanta for their hearing.

Getting them there takes a lot of time, effort, people and money.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph previously told WCNC there aren't enough transport officers to drive them so they clog up local jail beds. He called driving them to Atlanta one of the craziest things he's heard of - and says lawmakers have been asleep at the wheel.

"One day they are going to wake up and wondered what happened,” Pendergraph said last year.

Other suspected illegal immigrants arrested here then released are told to show up in Atlanta on their own.

Some don't, then become fugitives.

That current way of doing business prompted letters, petitions, phone calls and flat out pleas by lawmakers for the Department of Justice to establish a court here.

North Carolina is the only state with one of the nation's largest illegal immigrant populations that doesn't have an immigration court.

High-profile cases involving illegal immigrants like Carlos Martinez and Ramiro Gallegos – both accused of killing Carolinians -- fueled people's anger.

The new court will speed up deportations and cut down on the number of fugitives.

Representative Sue Myrick says it will also help legal immigrants deal with their immigration issues.

"If you're legal it means you have a place to go to get your problems solved and not drive to Atlanta. You have to remember we are talking about people who have committed some type of crime,” Myrick said.

Having an immigration court in Charlotte could also help ease some overcrowding at the Mecklenburg County jail. Right now, about 15 percent of jail beds are taken by illegal immigrants.